cannabisnews.com: Kerlikowske Speaks on His Job as Nations Drug Czar
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Kerlikowske Speaks on His Job as Nations Drug Czar
Posted by CN Staff on March 19, 2010 at 05:34:06 PT
By Amy Goldstein, Washington Post Staff Writer
Source: Washington Post
Washington, D.C. -- R. Gil Kerlikowske became director of the White House's Office of National Drug Control Policy in May. Kerlikowske, 60, has worked in law enforcement for nearly four decades. Most recently, he was police chief for nine years in Seattle, where prevailing attitudes towards drugs are relatively liberal. Before that, he ran police departments in upstate New York and his native Florida.During the Clinton administration, he was deputy director of the Justice Department's community-policing office. In his second stint in Washington -- as "drug czar," a term he dislikes -- he oversees a $428 million budget and a staff of about 100, working out of an eighth floor office across the street from the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. His desk is flanked by two large flags.
Q. A few days after you started your job, you said you wanted to "banish the idea that the U.S. is fighting a war on drugs." Why get rid of the metaphor?Most people don't see it as having been successful, and it really limits the tools you can bring to this complex problem. . . . When you are fighting a war, really, your tools are force, and this is as much a public-health problem as it is a public-safety problem. And we've been fighting it with mostly a criminal-justice lens.You often talk of drugs as being a problem of both public safety and public health, but the idea of prevention and treatment is not new. So, what should the government do that hasn't been tried before?One is the collaboration. . . . There was a woman who I met who lost a son to a fatal overdose and another child . . . was in recovery, so she knows this area very well. And she said, "We are a family: treatment, prevention and law enforcement." She said, "It's the only family I know [that] when the going gets tough, we circle the wagons and shoot in." The treatment people say, "Who knows if prevention works?" The prevention people say, "Gee, law enforcement only wants to jail, and why don't you give us the money?" The difference with us, this time around, is we are going to work much more together.You have long been a proponent of drug courts that emphasize treatment instead of jail. The president has proposed $56 million to increase treatment capacity in drug courts, but is the government doing everything it could to expand treatment availability?No. We should shout a lot more about the fact that they actually do work.You have said that research suggests needle exchanges are effective in slowing the spread of HIV and other diseases. What is your thinking about whether the federal government should support them?You shouldn't just be able to go into a needle exchange and get a clean needle. There should be . . . emphasis on treatment. . . . We see it as part of a broader issue, not as an individual needle exchange.But there is still no federal funding for them.Right. The person I've been dealing with is the AIDS czar in the White House, because this is an issue of disease prevention and also one that could be part of a comprehensive drug policy. I would just leave that one hanging out there.You have said you've been "sort of shouting from the rooftops" about prescription-drug abuse. What's the big problem?The 38,000 drug-induced deaths last year were greater than [from] gunshot wounds. . . . And yet, it's very hard to get attention. . . . People think about the drug problems that may flow into the United States from another country -- and these are coming out of medicine cabinets. We clearly can prevent that through parents being aware, lockable medicine cabinets, take-back programs for outdated prescriptions so they can be disposed of properly.In June, the administration released a National Southwest Border Counternarcotics Strategy. How does it deal with violence involving drug cartels in Mexico in ways different from the past?It has an entire section on guns that had not been in the previous edition. The concern there was providing tracing systems to Mexican authorities, so they can see where the drugs they seize are coming from. . . . And the second part is, there is a greatly enhanced exchange of intelligence.When will your office be putting out a National Drug Control Strategy?It was required to come out the first of February, but since this was the president's first strategy -- and his direction to me was to get as much input as possible -- I've been on a plane every week visiting other localities to find out what the concerns are and what should be in there. So, I'm a little delinquent in getting that report out, but I'd say, in the next few weeks.How many hours do you work?I'd say, it's 70-plus. I mean, I've always done that. It isn't anything particularly new, but you kind of reach a point where you think about how you can have another life. But right now, this is my focus.Your stepson had his own trouble with drugs, and, last I knew, you hadn't been in touch with him for a long time.No, I haven't.What has that experience taught you?I think that most people, they'll talk about a relative, a friend, a colleague who has cancer or has problems with alcohol. You know, given my age and my adoption of him at an early age, I would tell you it's still one of those things people are not comfortable talking about publicly. That's why I have this kind of opportunity to talk about addiction as a disease. . . . I think we are much more open in this country now to talk about it. There isn't anyone that is not affected by drugs -- friends, relatives, colleagues, neighbors. It's huge.Source: Washington Post (DC)Author: Amy Goldstein, Washington Post Staff WriterPublished: Wednesday, March 17, 2010; A19Copyright: 2010 Washington Post Contact: letters washpost.com Website: http://www.washingtonpost.com/ URL: http://drugsense.org/url/Cbzip0rmCannabisNews Justice Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/justice.shtml
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Comment #82 posted by FoM on March 21, 2010 at 20:08:41 PT
Just a Comment
What a day it has been. This is a wonderful move forward to help reform health care. I really didn't think until recently that it could happen. I am tired but I am happy.Hope, Cannabis Herbal Tea sounds better then the words tea party. It's a real turn off for me and many people.
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Comment #81 posted by Hope on March 21, 2010 at 19:35:42 PT
Paint with light
I knew I'd heard someone mention something like that recently.In looking at their site a bit, it looks like they're talking cannabis herbal tea.
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Comment #80 posted by Paint with light on March 21, 2010 at 19:00:45 PT
Herbal Tea Party
Sounds sorta like what I suggested a few weeks ago about somebody should form a green tea party.Green tea is herbal tea, right?Legal like........tea.
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Comment #79 posted by FoM on March 21, 2010 at 14:40:43 PT
rchandar
I've had the news on all day. I am very happy about it too. It's a good beginning. It's just a beginning but it will expand over the years and that's great.I can't believe the Republicans have fought this so. People talk about us becoming Socialist but we have had Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid for a long time. Words like Socialism don't mean anything to me.
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Comment #78 posted by rchandar on March 21, 2010 at 14:11:06 PT:
Health Care Bill Set To Pass
Yes, that's right. This evening.--rchandar
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Comment #77 posted by runruff on March 21, 2010 at 13:36:26 PT
Gil the Hammer of Hemp!
Pounder of Pot!I thought I would play. All the villainous characters of history had such thundering sounding names.Edward First the Long Shanks, Hammer of the Scots!Gils job description as DRUG CZAR sounds rather ridiculous to me though?My job, he says, is to go forth and kill and destroy all plants capable of destroying the very fabric of our country!Even plants capable of supplying all the fabric for our country!Further it is his job to see to it that the medicines we take are safe and effective. All Doctors in American report to him because he is a reliever of suffering and a great healer. Even his oath of office declares....something...no matter what his oath of office says, he is a paid schill, a gate keeper for corporate wealth and control. For our sake, it is good that he is so shallow and easy to see through, If we can, all can, right?One more thing about Gill the Mota Moller, He has no roots. He will go anywhere and work for anybody who will offer him a title. Pathetic!
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Comment #76 posted by Had Enough on March 21, 2010 at 13:08:53 PT
Stupid Quote of the Day
U.S. State Department officials said Tuesday there were no quick fixes to the border violence, adding that they were working very closely with the Mexican government to improve security. "You're talking about violence fueled by drug use that produces vast sums of money," said a spokesman. "That produces significant capabilities that could rival the strength of any army."***Legalize Itproblem solved************A saner and not so stupid quote..."Prohibition will work great injury to the cause of temperance. It is a species of intemperance within itself, for it goes beyond the bounds of reason in that it attempts to control a man's appetite by legislation, and makes a crime out of things that are not crimes. A Prohibition law strikes a blow at the very principles upon which our government was founded." Abraham Lincolnfound here....https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?s=cacfaeb543b4f589c93eae853a34b513&t=165052
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Comment #75 posted by Had Enough on March 21, 2010 at 12:48:12 PT
This is cool...
Photo from Join the Herbal Tea Party Movement!http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=30518551&op=1&o=global&view=global&subj=402480585750&id=1221812111
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Comment #74 posted by Hope on March 21, 2010 at 11:56:11 PT
those facebook sites that refer to cannabis
I can't breathe when I think about how many narcs must be in there amongst them.
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Comment #73 posted by ekim on March 21, 2010 at 11:46:35 PT
health bill today
over at 3ms site has a good question of how could cannabis impact the total cost of health care for certain illnesses.Alzheimers and MMhttp://www.michiganmedicalmarijuana.org/node/12487on another note we here in MI are finding that we have strong med cannabis language but are seeing resistance to liver transplants if thc metabolites are present.Over at Petes site he has great story on upcomming talks
in Mexico
http://www.drugwarrant.com
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Comment #72 posted by Hope on March 21, 2010 at 11:36:54 PT
attendance will be high.
be sober if you can.It's serious. They are still killing people and putting them in jail and prison cells over the cannabis plant. It's life and death serious for someone out there. And you don't even have to be a cannabis user... all you have to do is be mistaken for one. The unintended consequences and collateral damage of the drug war could come down on anyone at any time.
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Comment #71 posted by Hope on March 21, 2010 at 11:32:23 PT
I do love it
that so much stirring is going on in so many different places.I think it's wonderful.The World Wide Marijuana March... I forget it's exact name... is coming up and I think it's going to be big. Whether it will matter or not... again... I don't know, but I think attendance will be high.
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Comment #70 posted by Hope on March 21, 2010 at 11:24:58 PT
The Boston Tea Party
I used to think activist ought to pull a protest something like that one. But who wants to throw a bunch of weed in the water? What good would that do? Besides losing a bunch a cannabis that could or might have been helpful in some way to someone?Then I thought about that original painted war party and the tea being thrown overboard, I bet there were cohorts salvaging that tea, too.It never seemed like there was a workable way to use the old way of the Boston Tea Party incident as we were taught it.Any tea party reference right now brings too much to mind that other tea party bunch.Yecch.But... different folks... different strokes.
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Comment #69 posted by runruff on March 21, 2010 at 11:03:42 PT
If it's herbal tea...
...the next Boston Tea Party will be in the San Franscisco Bay?
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Comment #68 posted by runruff on March 21, 2010 at 11:00:38 PT
Herbal Tea Bag Party!
We can have High-tea!We can name the different chapters after herbs.I will start the Chamomile Chapter since I am already so laid back.
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Comment #67 posted by Had Enough on March 21, 2010 at 10:08:20 PT
We’re Jammin!!!
Jammin - bob marley http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TR5Qo4Pnc94&feature=related
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Comment #66 posted by Had Enough on March 21, 2010 at 10:00:27 PT
Moving right along...Herbal Tea Party Movement
Herbal Tea Party Movement!http://www.facebook.com/group.php?v=wall&ref=mf&gid=402480585750There is a video in the facebook page...and the one below is the same one on YouTube...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_funWAQj4EThis could help...I’ve always thought that if all the cannabis reform groups would combine their resources, great progress could be made...The Herbal Tea Party Movement is less than a week old... Help them out by spreading the word about this group.Let’s Roll...
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Comment #65 posted by FoM on March 21, 2010 at 09:16:22 PT
ekim
Thank you.
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Comment #64 posted by ekim on March 21, 2010 at 09:07:15 PT
Bloomberg news dir tv ch 353 sat
Ran the news ticker in bottom left side of screen.Mexico Billionnaire Salinas says US should legalize drugs
to end violence.
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Comment #63 posted by Hope on March 21, 2010 at 05:41:13 PT
trying to ban blunt wraps in Illinois
Trying to put up another nanny state barbed razor wire safety gate. More criminalization.People are wanting to be, needing to be free and make their own choices about their lives and what they choose to consume and the nanny state and it's minions want more barriers and razor wire to impede still more of those freedoms.Vote him out!
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Comment #62 posted by dagman11 on March 20, 2010 at 23:55:12 PT:
OT:
http://www.suntimes.com/business/lazare/2102403,CST-NWS-papers15.articleLawmakers are trying to ban blunt wraps in Illinois. This is a step backwards in drug policy in Illinois, just as they are close to passing a medical marijuana bill. This is a complete waste of time and will not help the community.
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Comment #61 posted by Hope on March 20, 2010 at 19:20:01 PT
I was probably most into
The Blues and Dylan, the Beatles, and Neil and other sorts of folk and rock and political stuff. Credence, of course.But of the TV variety type shows and hosts, and I've watched them back to Lawrence Welk, when I was a kid, my family watched him every week, I think I enjoyed the persona and presence more of Dean Martin and Tom Jones than most of them. They were fun and funny. I'd enjoyed Dean Martin since I was a toddler at the drive in with my parents to see the Lewis and Martin movies. I really enjoyed many of his recordings. Martin had a wonderful voice and style. Tom Jones was quite the entertainer, himself.
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Comment #60 posted by Hope on March 20, 2010 at 19:07:48 PT
What about if you pay a reasonable price for it?
"You shouldn't just be able to go into a needle exchange and get a clean needle."
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Comment #59 posted by Hope on March 20, 2010 at 19:05:29 PT
John Wayne
I'd enjoyed watching him over the years.More than anything I watched it to see his performance. But it turned out Mr. Campbell put in a stunning performance that just about overshadowed the big Duke.I must add, that, of course, I can't act any better than Mr. Campbell did. It's an a rather amazing art to watch.I was in various plays as a child and young person, and practiced plays with all my children over the years. Reading parts other than theirs. I was a horrible actor. I tried to sound right... to act. I just couldn't do it. It's a talent... like singing or dancing.Anyway, I was never a huge fan, either. But he and his songs were pretty popular for a few years.I was more into Dean Martin and Tom Jones.
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Comment #58 posted by Hope on March 20, 2010 at 18:57:33 PT
Hard to believe isn't it!
About True Grit? No! It's not hard to believe at all.I watched it once. That was more than enough. It was disturbing.
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Comment #57 posted by Hope on March 20, 2010 at 18:54:23 PT
RChandar
I'm not sure what Norml.Org site you're talking about.
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Comment #56 posted by Hope on March 20, 2010 at 18:49:49 PT
Comment 52
Comment 52The new idea for a new rule. Looks like.
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Comment #55 posted by Hope on March 20, 2010 at 18:46:54 PT
Lol!
What?
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Comment #54 posted by Hope on March 20, 2010 at 18:46:17 PT
Comment 56
Oh my gosh.I don't think I can read it all yet. I got to the second or third paragraph and realized it was another busy-body deal.I guess they can't help it. Ascertaining that a busy body is in action... or several of them, is like that judge said about pornography... you know it when you see it. Probably wants to make "Improper ingestion" a crime of some sort.*sigh*I'll try again later to read the whole thing.A self righteous busy body is a fearful, dreadful force, indeed.You kind of have to hold your nose to read their words, sometimes.
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Comment #53 posted by Hope on March 20, 2010 at 18:38:04 PT
Comment 36 GCW
Paul Armentano's article in The Hill is very hard hitting. The prohibitionists need hitting hard and Paul has done a good job, as usual, with this piece.Thank you, Paul.At The Hillhttp://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/politics/87647-are-us-pot-laws-the-root-cause-of-mexican-drug-violence
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Comment #52 posted by FoM on March 20, 2010 at 17:35:36 PT
Colorado News
Amendment To Ban Smoking Marijuana ***A bill in the house that would regulate the medical marijuana industry could be taking a new twist.Lizz Marrs, ReporterMarch 20, 2010 GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KKCO) -- A bill in the house that would regulate the medical marijuana industry could be taking a new twist.One of our local lawmakers is proposing an amendment to the bill that would change the way marijuana patients medicate.Representative Steve King says smoking anything is bad for you, and so he is going to propose an amendment to the marijuana bill Monday that says marijuana patients can take their medicine anyway they want except by smoking it.King thinks the THC from marijuana could be put into an inhaler form or made into lozenges or pills.You could also eat it in the form of food.King says, "If in fact medical marijuana is for the relief of people's pain and hopefully for their health benefit, the idea of smoking that is not good for them. It's not good for their health."But Travis Chambers, owner of God's Gift dispensary, disagrees and says, "A person should have their own way of administering the medicine to their self. For some people smoking works better than eating."Local dispensaries like God's Gift say for some patients smoking is their best option to reduce nausea and pain. Representative King says a lot of members of the house will be proposing new amendments to the marijuana bill on Monday.Right now, the bill is aiming to find ways to regulate how dispensaries get licensed and the restrictions put on getting a medical marijuana card.Debate of the bill could open doors for many more amendments and restrictions like not smoking it. Copyright: 2010 Gray Television, Inc. URL: http://www.nbc11news.com/home/headlines/88740077.html
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Comment #51 posted by FoM on March 20, 2010 at 17:22:34 PT
Hope
I think I was headed in a different direction with my interests in music and that's why I didn't really follow Glen Campbell. I wish him well. I never watched True Grit. Hard to believe isn't it!
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Comment #50 posted by Hope on March 20, 2010 at 17:18:45 PT
FoM Comment 42
Ah, Glen Campbell. Pretty good singer and variety show host. Really appallingly untalented actor. His career fell through a trap door with True Grit. I think he's still managing to stay alive through some pretty rough times in his life, though. So that's good.
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Comment #49 posted by Hope on March 20, 2010 at 17:11:07 PT
Comment #34 posted by Canis420
Looks like they thought maybe people had gotten over it.It's going to take a long, long, long time to "get over it", in any kind of way, and it must never be forgotten.Rachel Hoffman was one of many victims of this fatal and dangerous war on drugs. The drugs did not kill her. Prohibition killed her and so many more. She, and many more, likely would be alive and thriving... were it not for prohibition. Her life was taken from her and many others.... BECAUSE OF PROHIBITION.And all those young people... those "Children" that died from overdoses or some sort of drug related incident... prohibition did not save them. Many of them might be alive and thriving today, were it not for prohibition. It certainly didn't save them, society, and their families from what ultimately happened to them.
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Comment #48 posted by FoM on March 20, 2010 at 17:06:21 PT
Off Topic: Rare Neil Young Video
We have the DVD and this is the last song and I thought others might like it on this slow news day.After Berlin: Neil Young 1982http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdnGc5iaW-I
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Comment #47 posted by Hope on March 20, 2010 at 16:53:23 PT
Hemp World comment 33
Huh?Was that a demonstration of "Double tongue"?
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Comment #46 posted by Hope on March 20, 2010 at 16:49:24 PT
EAH Comment 32
Those people are so accustomed to always, or nearly always, getting their way... about everything. Of course they are going to rant and rave. The ones that don't come to their senses, anyway.
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Comment #45 posted by Hope on March 20, 2010 at 16:45:46 PT
Comment 35
Remember when that state legislator wanted to make baking soda something they kept behind the counter and you had to sign for?That man wanted to be responsible for banning something, or maybe just making the laws of the land more of a burden than ever, more than he had good sense.
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Comment #44 posted by Hope on March 20, 2010 at 16:39:10 PT
Comment 30 Runruff
Your Grandpa sounds like he may have subscribed to the same sort of wise philosophic advice and life skills instruction my Dad often relied on.
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Comment #43 posted by rchandar on March 20, 2010 at 13:51:48 PT:
Hello, All...
I checked out the norml.org site and they do make a good case. Looks like we were ready, they discuss how the US laws and demand for MJ is what makes the cartels prosperous. They've been targeting Mexico as the inspiration point for another WoD since about last March. There is a simple strategy of making the case that such "tough on drugs" schemes do not work, and only serve to increase cartel profits in a competitive market with big money and easy opportunities to make it. Now, Mexico decriminalized possession of 5 grams. This tells me that a renewed "Drug War" will be legally problematic and will circumvent with much resistance any kind of due process that citizens of either country are given by right.In short, such a "war" will be an enormous failure because it will be entangled in legalities, leading to further instability because of the ambivalence of politicians and the clamoring for elections to vote them out of office. Calderon's grip on Mexico will be less certain, not more. It's time we-they- got our facts straight about what goes on and what could we do.Short of a national "change of conscience"--from a consumer mentality and one of life-expansion--to one of austerity and guilt, will be the barometer for such a "war". That's untenable as America depends on market ingenuity and friendly relations with the outside world to prosper again. It's time we recognized the defectiveness of the WoD--before we spend another $1 trillion making sure it doesn't work.--rchandar
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Comment #42 posted by FoM on March 20, 2010 at 13:31:16 PT
Hope
I couldn't remember who did that song and then I found it. I am not a Glen Campbell fan but that was a good song.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMvMGCTxZwg
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Comment #41 posted by Hope on March 20, 2010 at 12:52:58 PT
It's a pretty damned ugly world...
Bitterness usually makes it worse. Sweetness makes it better. It helps sometimes.Anyway... some people are a danger to others in their narrow mindedness. Of that... we have no doubt.
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Comment #40 posted by Hope on March 20, 2010 at 12:51:13 PT
Sweet as that song might be...
I can't "overlook the blindness of those narrow minded people". The one's I'm worried about are dangerous people.
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Comment #39 posted by Hope on March 20, 2010 at 12:22:34 PT
Narrow Minded People
http://www.cowboylyrics.com/lyrics/campbell-glen/try-a-little-kindness-642.htmlIf you see your brother standing by the roadWith a heavy load from the seeds he's sowedAnd if you see your sister falling by the wayJust stop and stay you're going the wrong wayYou got to try a little kindnessYes show a little kindnessJust shine your light for everyone to seeAnd if you try a little kindnessThen you'll overlook the blindnessOf narrow-minded people on the narrow-minded streets(There's more)
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Comment #38 posted by Hope on March 20, 2010 at 11:48:02 PT
Because of the Drug War, Runruff...
I know all too many really sweet convicts. You're definitely among the sweetest.That's so wrong. Thanks for that rank wrong, Drug Warriors!We have the War on Drugs to thank for the fact that so many decent, even very good, and truly sweet people, now wear the brand of the hateful big CF.Several years ago I met two very personable young men... teenagers. One smilingly introduced himself to me, "Hi. Glad to meet you. I'm James. My dad's a police officer." The other one, also smiling, said, "Hi. My name's David. I'm glad to meet you, too. My dad's a convicted felon."Admittedly they probably had a little routine going they liked to use on newly met people... but there was something so striking and valid to our times with what they said.
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Comment #37 posted by runruff on March 20, 2010 at 08:39:13 PT
Saying among convicts.
Ditches are for snitches, siwey wabbit!I added the "siwey wabbit", tough guys don't talk that way,[I do]
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Comment #36 posted by The GCW on March 20, 2010 at 08:32:20 PT
Gil, Gil, Gil...
Are US Pot Laws the Root Cause of Mexican Drug Violence?By Paul Armentano, The Hill - Thursday, March 18 2010 http://www.cannabisculture.com/v2/content/2010/03/18/Are-US-Pot-Laws-Root-Cause-Mexican-Drug-Violence-0-Drug Cops Kill Two in Two Days in Drug Raidshttp://www.cannabisculture.com/v2/content/2010/03/19/Drug-Cops-Kill-Two-Two-Days-Drug-Raids-0- The cops would like Us to believe they murdered / killed these 2 people because guns were in their hands when cops entered.What I think is that cops spend time training to shoot people; they spend time perpetuating the so called war on drugs that Gil doesn't like... Then they have a little fun; break into a house after making war and use their guns for some live training.Those people weren't killed because they had guns in hand; they were killed because police want to play.-0-"Tennessee, police narcotics squad serving a search warrant for drug possession -- not sales, manufacture, or possession with intent to sell"""It's unfortunate, but I'd rather be talking about a dead suspect than a dead cop." I feel much more unsafe with these kinds of cops and their war than I do with the people they murdered after training to murder them.
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Comment #35 posted by FoM on March 20, 2010 at 04:59:43 PT
Off Topic: Another Small Step
Race and Mythology in Drug Laws ***March 19, 2010Washington, D.C. -- Congress is trying to undo some of the damage it inflicted more than two decades ago with its frenzied mandating of longer prison sentences for abusers of crack cocaine than for those who abuse the powder version.The result has been disproportionately harsher punishment for crack offenders in black neigborhoods.The law is built on a scientifically indefensible 100-to-1 ratio, which means the same prison term (a minimum of five years) for 5 ounces of crack as for 500 ounces of the powder kind.A compromise reform of the law approved this week by the Senate would repeal mandated sentences for simple possession and reduce the ratio to 18-to-1 for trafficking in crack versus powder cocaine.This standard is still irrational, if significantly less so than current law. It’s imperative for the House to fight for the 1-to-1 ratio when it takes up the issue. Otherwise, the law will remain tinged with racism even if relative harshness is cut back.The sentencing disparity was enacted amid a wave of crack use and hyperbolic warnings that crack — cocaine cooked in baking soda — was more addictive than powder cocaine.That has since been disproved by scientific studies. That hasn’t stopped tens of thousands from being sentenced unfairly under the skewed law. Recent studies showed that while blacks make up 30 percent of crack users, they compose more than 80 percent of those convicted under the federal law.After pressing for the 1-to-1 ratio, Senator Richard Durbin, a Democrat of Illinois, says he accepted the 18-to-1 compromise with Republican opponents because it is the best available chance to “ensure that every year thousands of people are treated more fairly in our criminal justice system.”The senator can be commended for his efforts. Now it’s up to the House to totally end the disparity and the severe injustice it has wrought. A version of this article appeared in print on March 20, 2010, on page A16 of the New York edition.Copyright: 2010 New York TimesURL: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/20/opinion/20sat3.html
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Comment #34 posted by Canis420 on March 20, 2010 at 01:58:29 PT:
typical but outrageous
Officer who led fatal, botched drug sting might get job backhttp://www2.tbo.com/content/2010/mar/15/151856/officer-who-led-fatal-botched-drug-sting-might-get/news-breaking/
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Comment #33 posted by HempWorld on March 19, 2010 at 20:18:23 PT
Kerlikowske Speaks
Double Tongue!That's what it is!In a country that goes to wars that are not paid for, let their citizens die without health care by the thousands every year, but alcohol and cigarettes are perfectly legal!And then the police warns Hawaii ... Duh! This is so inhumane! Not where I come from.
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Comment #32 posted by EAH on March 19, 2010 at 18:28:16 PT:
Haters and Fools
It's people who are selfish, petty, and mean who seem to have no problem meddling in other peoples lives. Legal cannabis is not going to negatively affect
anybody. Probably 80+% of Americans won't even notice anything is different.
Yet these people rant and rage.
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Comment #31 posted by FoM on March 19, 2010 at 16:28:50 PT
EAH
Watching this health care debate has exposed how difficult change will be. I think most news channels covered the man in Columbus, Ohio throwing money and screaming at a man that was on the ground and had Parkinsons. He was from a group called Americans for Prosperity. If that is what they want in America then I don't know what kind of country we would become. I pity the young children because when they grow up it would be horrible. Here's the video played on MSNBC and CNN.Tea Partiers Mock And Scorn Apparent Parkinson's Victimhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ik4f1dRbP8&NR=1
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Comment #30 posted by runruff on March 19, 2010 at 16:12:57 PT
My Grandpa used to say:
"A little kick in the butt will lighten the load!"
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Comment #29 posted by EAH on March 19, 2010 at 15:59:04 PT:
A heavy lift
Watching how hard it is to do the right thing by starting to reform health care insurance in Washington makes me wonder what it will be like trying to end prohibition in congress. They can't even do obviously necessary things that shouldn't be this controversial or this hard. What is it going to be like over something like legalizing cannabis?
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Comment #28 posted by Hope on March 19, 2010 at 15:33:58 PT
Wow! Indeed. Canis420 and Had Enough
Maybe the letter did help. It's certainly timely and you never know when it might be the word that made the difference.It's nice to think it was. Canis420 I know you worked diligently on your response... which they didn't expect, I'm sure, because they meant to intimidate you into keep it to yourself.Thank you for catching and sharing that story, Had Enough.Wonderful. Florida! At this rate we'll probably be hearing some more logic, reason, and good sense coming out of Texas legislators next.
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Comment #27 posted by FoM on March 19, 2010 at 14:52:58 PT
runruff
I only say what I mean and I always mean what I say. You're welcome.
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Comment #26 posted by runruff on March 19, 2010 at 14:47:30 PT
FoM
Ah shucks!
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Comment #25 posted by FoM on March 19, 2010 at 14:41:16 PT
runruff
I agree with you. We have the best people in the world here and you are one of them.
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Comment #24 posted by runruff on March 19, 2010 at 14:37:47 PT
I feel exhilarated!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It is my association with C/News and the feeling we are making a monumental change on our planet!I see us in our collective exchange of info and ideas raising the consciousness of our planet!What an extraordinary group we have assembled here!To make the best things in life happen we must first recognize what they are?
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Comment #23 posted by rchandar on March 19, 2010 at 13:04:10 PT:
It's Time, Folks...
...time to abolish this insane, absurd, and UNJUST law AS SOON AS POSSIBLE......NOTHING can POSSIBLY uphold something so incredibly absurd and ridiculous. To think that FLORIDA, a state with left-leaning constituencies such as MIAMI, a city of 5 MILLION PEOPLE, must adhere to this kind of absurdity is nonsensical. To say that juveniles and old-timers who are healing their pain must GO TO JAIL FOR 1 YEAR and PAY $1000 is SIMPLY NOT ACCEPTABLE, ANYMORE. It is time we realized that THIS LAW WAS PASSED IN 1951, and that in no possible fashion is it appropriate social policy.Good Luck, make it happen!--rchandar
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Comment #22 posted by FoM on March 19, 2010 at 13:03:54 PT
Change We Can Believe In
All that is happening on many different levels in different states is what I have hoping to happen. Change really is coming from the bottom up not the top down.
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Comment #21 posted by rchandar on March 19, 2010 at 13:00:53 PT:
Had Enough, etc.
Go get 'em! Sounds good!
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Comment #20 posted by Had Enough on March 19, 2010 at 12:41:29 PT
More...to consider...
More...to consider...More than a beginning...more like a reaction.Kim Russell...founder of People United for Medical Marijuana (PUFMM) is traveling to Tallahassee to send a message to the lawmakers.I think they the lawmakers know if they don’t do it...the voters will...***UPCOMING EVENTS-March 2010We continue our lobbying efforts by traveling to Tallahassee. Please turn in your petitions to prove we have support. You can either mail them to Orlando or turn them in to the county where the voter is registered. If you have five or five hundred, we need every single petition verified as soon as possibleBeach Fest 2010 Volusia County Fairgrounds - The event takes place on March 20 at 12:00 p.m. We have a booth and need at least 20 volunteers. RSVP to info pufmm.org.http://www.pufmm.org/PUFMM at CHASCO FIESTA The event takes place on March 20, 21, 2010New Port Richey's big annual gig, the Chasco Fiesta, is happening all weekend. We are kinda scrambling at the last minute, but would love to have a volunteer or a few volunteers to simply canvas the crowds for signatures. There are free concerts all day in Sims Park, so not a bad way to spend a weekend afternoon, while doing some good for the cause! Please RSVP here and email Cyndi if you are interested. THANKS!http://www.meetup.com/PUFMM-Tampa/calendar/12899471/***This is a group that supports the political committee registered with the State of Florida to get medical marijuana legalized through a ballot initiative. We are collecting signatures to amend the constitution on the Florida ballot. http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=127343055695
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Comment #19 posted by runruff on March 19, 2010 at 12:17:35 PT
Canis420
It's a small, smaller world, maybe they did?Great letter by the way!
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Comment #18 posted by Canis420 on March 19, 2010 at 12:14:10 PT:
WOW
maybe they read my letter!
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Comment #17 posted by FoM on March 19, 2010 at 12:09:53 PT
Had Enough
That seems like a good beginning.
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Comment #16 posted by Had Enough on March 19, 2010 at 12:06:30 PT
Lawmakers Consider......
Lawmakers Consider Reducing Drug Possession PenaltiesPosted: 3:43 pm EST March 5, 2010Updated: 6:51 pm EST March 5, 2010TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- State lawmakers in Florida are looking at reducing the penalties for people caught with drugs. Supporters say lowering penalties for getting caught with marijuana and cocaine could help fill a $3 billion budget gap. Courtney Scout admits she smokes marijuana about once a week. “It's a plant. It grows from the earth. It's not a chemical someone concocts in a room. It's a plant, and I don't think it should be criminalized,” she said. Scout thinks Florida's drug laws are too harsh. A person caught with 20 grams of marijuana in Florida can go to prison for five years. In California, 28 grams or less will just get you a misdemeanor. In New York, offenders caught with less than 25 grams are given a civil citation. Florida Taxwatch says the state could save $10 million a year if it stopped sending low-level offenders to state prisons. Even Florida's Attorney General admits changing the law could help fill the state's budget gap. “If you got simple possession of a small quantity, I think there are innovative ways to deal with simple possession that don't always require going to prison,” Attorney General Bill McCollum said. Victor Crist, the chairman of the Senate's Criminal Justice Appropriations Committee said it's an idea worth discussing. Crist wants to reexamine all sentencing guidelines, not just those involving marijuana.more...http://www.wftv.com/news/22755885/detail.html
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Comment #15 posted by Hope on March 19, 2010 at 11:09:28 PT
A great example of prohibitionist insanity,,,,
"It's the only family I know [that] when the going gets tough, we circle the wagons and shoot in."
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Comment #14 posted by runruff on March 19, 2010 at 11:00:16 PT
If I could offer a slogan for the 21st century:
Strive to be more transparent and you will become yourself, more clear.
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Comment #13 posted by FoM on March 19, 2010 at 10:58:00 PT
CNBC
It was very good. I hope others got to see it.
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Comment #12 posted by FoM on March 19, 2010 at 10:02:16 PT
Heads Up: CNBC Coming On Soon!
Marijuan-America it's called I think.
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Comment #11 posted by ekim on March 19, 2010 at 09:53:57 PT
This 40-minute educational drama
http://www.flexyourrights.org/10_Rules
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Comment #10 posted by FoM on March 19, 2010 at 09:46:04 PT
OT: New Series on Discovery Channel Called Life
I have seen previews for this new series and it really looks good if you like programs like Blue Planet. The url was long so I shorted it. This url is to the website promoting the new series Life. We are really looking forward to seeing it. It premieres at 8 PM on Sunday the 21st for 2 hours.URL: http://drugsense.org/url/MbbpsBMO
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Comment #9 posted by rchandar on March 19, 2010 at 09:41:55 PT:
ONDCP
I think we should watch carefully when they put out their arrest statistics. Very carefully. I'd like to see if the public trust was duped on purpose.
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Comment #8 posted by FoM on March 19, 2010 at 09:24:09 PT
I Am Interested In This Part of The Article
When will your office be putting out a National Drug Control Strategy?It was required to come out the first of February, but since this was the president's first strategy -- and his direction to me was to get as much input as possible -- I've been on a plane every week visiting other localities to find out what the concerns are and what should be in there. So, I'm a little delinquent in getting that report out, but I'd say, in the next few weeks.***I've noticed marijuana isn't mentioned in this article. When John Walters was appointed drug czar marijuana was front and center. I wonder where the marijuana issue will fall in the National Drug Control Policy as far as jailing people for having marijuana in their possession?
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Comment #7 posted by Rainbow on March 19, 2010 at 08:51:23 PT
lies
Please do not forget that Gil is a police person. They are taught to lie so I personally ddo not believe a word he says.he is proving to be a poor politician and great liar.
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Comment #6 posted by ezrydn on March 19, 2010 at 08:40:15 PT:
Another Corrupted Cop
Gil seemed to have a nice career going. THEN, he sold his soul to the DEVIL. He became a joke, an embarassment, a loony tune, you name it. He even lost some of his vocabulary (his words, not mine). Does the Drug Czar need proof that his beloved Prohibition doesn't work? Just look as far as the child he'll have nothing to do with. But, Gil, What about the children? What about YOUR child?
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Comment #5 posted by runruff on March 19, 2010 at 07:58:32 PT
Plural for intellengence?
IntellegentiIntellegecesIntellegeescollective intell or in-tell?
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Comment #4 posted by runruff on March 19, 2010 at 07:52:49 PT
"insult to my intelligence! "
I feel so self centered by saying this. I should have said, "our" intellegence.
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Comment #3 posted by runruff on March 19, 2010 at 07:38:44 PT
My sob story, not your sob story!
Cops always reject anecdotal stories as evidence yet they always have one at the ready! I don't know about families circling the wagons and shooting into itself. This is such a strange metaphor it makes no sense. It sounds like he is saying families who practice the circle firing squad are more......? He is not very articulate is he?It looks like Gil the Cavalier Chronic Cruncher, likes to go around the country at tax payer expense and have a beer and maybe dinner with his many cop buddies. Then he says he goes around getting input? Whatta laugh! Input? This is copology 101 for, whine like a blue norther! 70 hours plus per week he works? I've seen what federal bureaucrats call work? i.e. seminars in warm climates, travel to see relatives and friends and call it a business Trip? If this guy works eight hours a week I will give him a "good job Brownie" button!
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Comment #2 posted by FoM on March 19, 2010 at 07:28:30 PT
You Can't Fix Everybody
I have relatives with legal drug problems. I personally love them no matter what. If we shun the addicted we are saying they have no worth.
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Comment #1 posted by runruff on March 19, 2010 at 07:18:16 PT
Top Narc a failure!
While the Drug Czar is responsible for keeping the rest of the country off of drugs, he cannot police his own kid!Yet this says nothing to Gil the Spliff Slayer! The worst of it is, "it's embarrassing", he says!You are an embarrassment to our rights and constitution and therefor an embarrassment to our country not to mention a personal insult to my intelligence!
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